Fish-plate.



FISH PLATE.A

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18l 191'1.

1 Patented 0013.21, 1913.

Snom/1410@ Awww Ziggy@ zen of the United States, residi ALBERT' LonGEoFffPILAD'ELP'HIA, PENNSYLVANIA, Assieivon oF ONE-THIRD To,JOHN.E-DWABDSIIITH, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FISH-PLATE.

lSiiec'iation of Letters Patent.

Appncafdmfaiea April 1s, 1911.

Serial No. 621,776.

To all whom it may condena.:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LODGE, a citiatPhiladelphia, in the county ofPhila elphia .and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Fish-Plates, of which the following is a'specication.

This invention relates to rail joint supports and more articularly tofish plates, the object of the invention being to provide a fish platehaving a form which will coact with both ends lof the vrails to beconnected in the manner of a lever, the connecting bolts acting asfulcrum members.

.Further objects of the invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, whichforms a. part of this application, and `in which Fi ure 1 is a sideelevation. Fig. 2 is a top p an view with parts broken away. Fig. 3 1s atransverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar Viewon the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 represents suitable tiesupon which the rails 2 and 3 are mounted, their abutting ends beingconnected by the fish plates 4 and 5 arranged u on opposite sides of therails and connected together by the bolts 6 and 7. The plates 4 and 5have their upper edges centrally provided with bosses 9, and thesebosses are adapted to be arranged below the heads of the rails at themeeting edges of the said rails. The bolts 6 pass through openings inthe plates that are substantially the same size as the diameter of thebolts, so as to permit no relative movement. The openings in the webs ofthe rails, through which the bolts 6 pass may be elongated to permit'ofthe expansion and contraction of the rails. The plates 4 and 5 areextended a suitable length in opposite directions from the bosses 9, andthe said` plates have theirl upper edges, at their opposite ends,provided with bosses 11. These bosses are of a greater width than thebosses 9, so that in arranging the bosses beneath the heads of the railsa pressure must be exerted upon the said ends in order lto spring thebosses l1. into proper engaging osition. The securing bolts 7 arearrange adjacent the ends of the plates, and are passed throughelongated slots provided in the said plates, and these slots aredisposed vertivis effectively overcome.

cally of the said plates with relation to the rails, when the plates arepositioned upon the rails. By such an arrangementvit will be noted thatthe bolts 6. may have their securing elements screwed entirely homethereon, in arrangingv the plates upon the rails, while the bolts 7 areloosely passed through their respective openings, and after the ends ofthe plates have their bosses sprung into engagement beneath the heads ofthe rails the nuts for the bolts 7 are screwed entirely home. The bolts7, and the nuts therefor, are adapted to serve only as means forprevent-ing the outward springing of the ends of the plate, but thebolts 6 and their engaging nuts are not only adapted to prevent thelateral or outward movement of the plates at the central portionthereof,

Patented 0015.214913.

but are also adapted to prevent a vertical movement, in either directionof the central portions of the said plates, and so, as -previouslystated, retaining the bosses 9 tightly in engagement beneath and withthe rail heads at the joint of the rails.

By an arrangement, as above described, it will be noted that the bosses11 spring the plates 4 and 5 sufliciently to at all times force andretain the bosses 11 in proper engagement with the heads of the rails atthe joint of t-he rails, so that danger of a sinking or downwardmovement of the joint noted that should the rails, at their points ofengagement by the bosses 11,l and incident to the weight of the rollingstock causing a downward flexure of the rails at these points,vthe saidbosses will give with the rails, (in which instance the bolts 6 serve asfulcrum points), and exert a tension to force the bosses 9 more tightlyinto engagement beneath the heads of Athe rail ends. The plates are of alesser width than the fishing spaces between the heads 10 and the baseflanges of the rails.

Ifiiving thus described the invention, what I claim is:

' In combination with meetin ends of two railway rails, of a fish plateor connecting the rail ends, said plate comprising a' fiat bar of alesser Width than the fishing spaces of the rails, said bar having itsupper edge centrally provided with a projecting boss, the plate havingbolt openings disposed adjacent the boss, bolts for the openings andconnected with the rails and adapted to It will be further force. thebossint-o tightv engagement beneath the heads of the rails at the endsof the said rails, the opposite ends ot' the ish late having projectingbosses of a greater height than the central projecting boss, the

--said plate adjacent the end bosses being provided with elongatedopenings, bolts passA ingthrough the openings and throughthe Webs of therails, and the said openings adapted to permit of the end bosses beingsprung downwardly to engaging position with the heads of the rails toforce the eentral boss more tightly into engagement, and the bolts ofthe elongated openings provided with securing members to prevent thelat- 15 eral movement of the ends of the plate.

ln testimony whereof l aiiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' ALBERT LDGE. Witnesses:

LOUIS M. FRIDENBERG, NORMAN el'. SMTIH.

